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Historical Recipes

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Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
recipe

The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese

The New Orleans classic has been revived, thanks to one dedicated dairy farmer and die-hard fans.
Sarah Lohman June 16, 2025
Developed by Farrell Monaco, our Black Banquet included dark loaves of bread, beans, dates, and fish—all inspired by an ancient tombstone.
archaeology

Recreating an Ancient Roman Dinner of Death

To investigate the legend of Emperor Domitian’s Black Banquet, we made our own macabre feast.
Sam O'Brien & Farrell Monaco November 29, 2024
With sweet, soft flesh, the Long Island cheese pumpkin makes a great pie.
thanksgiving

This Obscure Heirloom Pumpkin Makes a Fantastic Pie

Never a commercial success, the Long Island cheese pumpkin deserves a place in your Thanksgiving dessert.
Sarah Lohman November 22, 2024
The sophisticated club sandwich combines ham, pineapple, bacon, peanut butter, and avocado.
food

This Book Contains a Century of Historical Sandwiches

In 'Sandwiches of History,' Barry Enderwick dives into good, bad, and bizarre combinations.
Diana Hubbell November 6, 2024
This unusual ice cream has a long history.
food

The Unlikely Popularity of Grape-Nuts Ice Cream

This simple flavor has a cross-cultural and cross-generational appeal.
Anne Ewbank August 21, 2024
A fresco from a mansion, or haveli, depicting the sharing of a drink. In Rajput culture, the munawwar piyala meaning "cup of request" is liquor offered to guests during gatherings, especially marriages.
royalty

The Resurrection of Rajasthan’s Royal Liquors

After fading away post-Independence, Heritage Liquors are back and, this time, everyone can sip them.
N.C. Stevens April 19, 2024
Istanbul, Turkey

Bar at Biz Istanbul

Eat your way through history.
Automatons of the Goyesque Carillon
Madrid, Spain

Automatons of the Goyesque Carillon

This piece of early engineering is rather unknown despite its location in the heart of Madrid.
List

Try Historical Food at These 52 Culinary Timewarps

History and nostalgia are on the menu.
Diana Hubbell January 24, 2024
Lewes, Delaware

Sussex Tavern at Rabbit’s Ferry House

Sip colonial-era cocktails at this monthly recreation of a 1740 watering hole.
Written by Amelia Parenteau
food

How a Midnight Feast Became a Month-Long Dining Extravaganza in New Orleans

Revel in Réveillon all December long in the Crescent City.
Tiger tail ice cream features an unlikely but harmonious merger of black licorice, orange, and dairy.
food

Make Tiger Tail Ice Cream With Gastro Obscura

Recreating a vintage Canadian classic.
Andrew Coletti October 27, 2023
Caraway and candied citrus flavor the buttery sponge.
cake

Welsh Sheep-Shearing Cake Is a Forgotten Pastoral Pleasure

Cacen gneifo was a traditional gift for farmhands during wool-gathering season.
Jamie Ellis September 22, 2023
An illustration of the ritual cremation of a 9th-century Viking leader.
vikings

Eat Like a Viking With This Bread Recipe

Cremated archaeological finds can tell us a lot about Early Medieval baking habits.
Paula Marcoux August 8, 2023
A group of men pose at Russell Camp, another camp for loggers in Maine, circa 1900.
recipe

Eat Like a 19th-Century Lumberjack With This Recipe

"One can work harder and longer on pork and beans...than on any other food with which I am acquainted, save bear meat."
Paula Marcoux July 28, 2023
Maru Toledo and one of the "Mujeres del Maíz" make tortillas.
restaurants

The Remote Mexican Restaurant Reviving Jalisco's Forgotten Cuisine

Maru Toledo and the Mujeres del Maíz are putting history on the plate.
Rena Behar July 14, 2023
Serve your fish with potatoes "roasted in the ashes" and eat off the plank.
fish

The 19th-Century Recipe That Created a Fish-Cookout Craze

Recreate the heyday of shad bakes with this plank-roasting technique.
Paula Marcoux July 10, 2023
The contents of Blue Moon remain unknown to the public.
ice cream

5 Unique Ice Cream Recipes to Beat the Heat

From Sweden's Nobel bombe to Detroit's Boston Cooler.
Sam Lin-Sommer June 12, 2023